That's not true; Some pictures are worth more than others.
It takes a good photographer to capture more than the light--to capture the feeling, the motion, the story of the picture.
When I saw these pictures taken by David Herreman whole stories formed in my head. The Miranda Castle has a lot of history, and David's images captured so much of it. They're awesome!
I immediately emailed him and got permission to post a few for you. I hope you find as much inspiration in them as I did. (Click through the image to see the full-sized version on David's website.)
The castle is in ruin today, but its stately arches and elegant lines still struggle to show through.
Can't you imagine royalty gliding down this stairway?
Servants in full uniform bustling through the halls
Foreign dignitaries heading to an important meeting?
The castle was used as an orphanage during World War II. That's an old black board on the wall.
This reminded me that castles were large, multi-function buildings. During hard times, these structures were remodeled to handle many needs. If you're writing about a castle, it is good to remember this. How often have you read a story where the characters visit the area in the castle where the tutors worked?
I also loved the peeling paint and the mildew working through the walls.
This is my favorite. It's so creepy.
The floor tiles were either removed by the owners or looters.
Again, you can see the beauty of this hall with it's graceful curves and majestic doorways even after suffering such degradation. Imagine what it must have looked like in its prime?
The inherent beauty just adds to the creepiness. That was a good lesson to me. When I write about creepy places, I need to let the former glory and beauty show through the grime.
There are more pictures of this amazing location on his website and Flickr stream.
Go check them out.
If you liked the castle, David has pictures of other old buildings on his Flickr photostream. Check out his Belgium collection for more incredible castles and abbeys.
If castle's aren't your thing, he also has stunning photos of landscapes, seascapes, and nature.
Where do you find inspiration?
* All images in this post belong to the awesome David Herreman. Used with permission. (Thanks, David, for allowing me to share these.)
8 comments:
These photos work so well to inspire a writer. They're beautiful. Thanks for posting about using visual inspiration. I like to go on google images to find settings, characters, even details like clothes and weapons.
Gussie, another surprisingly great place for writers is Craigslist (or eBay). You want to write about a fancy necklace, or a particular car, or an antique box fan--just run a search on one of these sites and get some inspiration.
Being a visual person, I like using photos or pictures in my mind to help my writing. Thanks for the tip on where to get more.
Those pictures are AMAZING! Pictures are what works best for me as far as inspiration goes. And you're right-- some definitely say more than others!
P.S. I left you an award on my blog. :)
Photos totally inspire me. Some make me want to get out and experience more too.
Wow, those pictures are totally getting me in the Halloween spirit. I gotta incorporate that into my ms.!
Peggy - Thanks for the award. You're awesome.
Renea & Kristine - I love all sorts of media and they each speak to me in different ways. I'm going to share some more of my inspirations from time to time. Thanks for the positive support.
Jessie - I didn't even think about Halloween coming up. I guess my subconscious was working overtime this week. Thanks.
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